qué decir
/ke deθiɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "what to say" is translated into Spanish as qué decir.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the interrogative pronoun qué (what) and the infinitive decir (to say).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express "what to say to him/her/you", you add an indirect object pronoun to the end of the infinitive, such as qué decirle or qué decirte.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke deθiɾ/
Did you know?
- The verb decir shares an ancient root with the English word 'dictate' and the Latin 'dicere', both of which originally meant 'to show' or 'to point out'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures the phrase no sé qué decir is used as a polite way to avoid giving a negative opinion or a direct 'no'.
- If you are wondering 'what to say' about a beautiful sight, you might say ¡qué decir! as an exclamation, which functions more like 'how to describe it!' than a question.
Examples in context
- Ni sé qué decir.I don't even know what to say.Tatoeba #3457147 by cueyayotl, translation #2658143 by Hybrid
- No sé qué decir…I don't know what to say…Tatoeba #1503325 by marcelostockle, translation #1108772 by megamanenm
- No sabía qué decirle.I didn't know what to say to him.Tatoeba #1364728 by Shishir, translation #249976 by CK
- 40 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are preparing for a difficult conversation with a friend.
- SofíaEstoy muy nerviosa y no sé qué decir.I am very nervous and I don't know what to say.
- MateoSolo dile la verdad, Sofía.Just tell her the truth, Sofía.
- SofíaPero no sé qué decir para que no se enoje.But I don't know what to say so that she doesn't get angry.
- MateoElla entenderá si eres sincera.She will understand if you are sincere.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries decir, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
